France Deploys Special Forces on Ground in Syria to Advise Rebels: Defense Ministry

France Deploys Special Forces on Ground in Syria to Advise Rebels: Defense Ministry
Thu Jun 9, 2016 16:34:02

A French Defense Ministry official has revealed that his country has deployed its special forces on the ground in northern Syria to advise rebels and help them fight ISIS.

"The offensive at Manbij is clearly being backed by a certain number of states including France. It's the usual support - it's advisory," the official told the AFP agency.

Until now, France admitted the presence of some 150 special forces in the region, all of them in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Manbij is a key strategic town under ISIS control in northern Syria. It’s a waypoint between the Turkish border and the ISIS-held Raqqa.

The latest comment isn’t the first hint at France’s presence in Syria: last Friday, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told the Public Senat TV channel that Paris was “providing support through weapons supplies, air presence and advice," RT reported.

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